Sara Evans & Family - Live from City Winery Nashville

[.indulgecountry]

Sara Evans -- with accompaniment of her kids Olivia (vocals) and Avery (guitar) as The Barker Family Band -- has released her first live album, recorded at City Winery Nashville on their Bloodline Tour earlier this year following their self-titled EP release.



“Southern Cross”
“Four-Thirty”
“XO” featuring Olivia Barker
“Why Not Me”
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”
“Dreams”
“A Little Bit Stronger” featuring Sara Evans and Olivia Barker
“Otis Redding”
“Suds In The Bucket”
“So Far Away” featuring Olivia Barker
“Long Ride Home”
“Long Way Down”
“Not Over You”
“As” featuring Olivia Barker
“Tennessee Whiskey” featuring Olivia Barker
“Born to Fly” with special guests, Fairground Saints

[bboat11]

Y'ALL ARE SERIOUSLY GONNA SLEEP ON THIS ALBUM?!?!?! UNACCEPTABLE!!!

I have thoughts to post tomorrow :) Just got back home after a long weekend away, but this album SLAYS

[bboat11]

Okay, so my thoughts!

1. Sara sounds FANTASTIC on this album!!!!!!!! Her voice is as powerful and pristine as ever these days, and takes more vocal risks with big notes and stuff in a live setting than she did earlier in her career. That being said, this concert didn't do much to push her range, because it was a bit more of an acoustic concert. However, there is a pretty nice glory note added to the end of "Born To Fly" that is super tasty!!

2. Olivia also sounds INCREDIBLE!!!!!! I can't believe she is only like 16 years old Her voice reminds me of a cross between her mother and Maren Morris. I am rooting for her to have ALL the success she can get in a few years when her voice is a little more mature. You can tell when her and her mom are singing together that Sara's voice is more confident and powerful, but Olivia is well on her way!

3. So glad all the witty banter is left between the songs! Sara is one of the most hilarious performers in country music, which she doesn't get enough credit for. Unfortunately, her delivery might be a bit too deadpan for everybody to fully appreciate on this album. She almost sounds disinterested in places. I'm sure it was perfect in the live setting because you could actually see her interacting with her kids, making faces at the audience, etc. When she mentioned Cher and nobody cheered, so she asked if they had ever heard of Cher, I just about lost it!!!

4. I LOVE the set list here! The fact that this wasn't a standard show with all the hits and stuff allowed her to experiment with more album tracks and random covers, and I really appreciate having those recordings! "Four-Thirty" sounds identical to the album version, and "Otis Redding" is almost more soulful and powerful than the original. Of the various covers, Sara absolutely slays all of them. The Judds' "Why Not Me" is a perfect song for Sara, as well as Patty Griffin's "Long Ride Home", and her attempt at Aretha's "Natural Woman" is amazing for somebody who ain't known for Aretha-ish belting! Sara makes it work very well! And we been knew from the EP earlier this year that her cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" is amazing

5. Wait, is "Southern Cross" a cover? I'm not sure, but it is an incredible recording as well!!!

6. Sara's sister Leslie is also an incredible talent, who doesn't get nearly enough recognition. She is the background vocalist here (as she has been for most of Sara's career), and many of the Olivia/Sara/Leslie harmonies are to die for!

7. I still want Sara to put out a regular live album soon too with her full band and all the hits and stuff, but this is way more incredible than I expected from a largely acoustic show!

8. If you ever get a chance to go see Sara perform live, DO IT!!! As I said earlier, her voice is better than ever. Hopefully she has new music ready for us soon!

9. I wouldn't mind seeing Sara/Olivia collaborate again in the future. Sara keeps saying it's a one-time thing because she doesn't want to smother her children and nobody wants to be in a band with their mother, but I am skeptical that the kids would hate the idea as much as she seems to believe.